Togo

Togo is a West African country bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east, and Burkina Faso to the north; it has an estimated population of 6.3 million. Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) affect all 40 districts in Togo. NTDs are debilitating and disproportionately affect the poor and vulnerable, particularly women and children.

Togo has a decentralized health system, with the district as the main implementing unit. The district medical director and his team are responsible for organizing curative and preventive care activities in the district. The district organizes training of personnel by a train-the-trainers model (cascade training); central level personnel train district personnel, who train the USP nurses, who in turn train the community health workers. This effective organization makes nationwide integrated NTD control through mass drug administration possible.

While lack of awareness, unsafe health practices, and limited access to safe water and sanitation continue to present challenges, Togo’s NTD Program has achieved important progress against NTDs, especially lymphatic filariasis (LF). However, schistosomiasis (SCH), onchocerciasis (oncho), and soil-transmitted helminthes (STH) continue to be threats and require continued attention and support from USAID’s END in Africa project and other partners.

FHI 360’s END in Africa project subgrantee in Togo is Health & Development International, Inc. (HDI). HDI has supported initiatives run by the Togo Ministry of Health since 1997 and it began promoting integrated NTD control in Togo in 2003.

Achievements in Togo

  • Togo adopted a strategic plan for oncho elimination after changing its strategic goal around oncho from disease control to disease elimination.
  • In 2017, Togo became the first sub-Saharan African country to achieve the global target established by the 50th World Health Assembly of elimination of LF as a public health problem.

News Affecting Togo

Documents and Resources

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